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From the upcoming ‘Pran Prathishtha’ ceremony for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya to the ongoing Pakistan-Iran standoff, social media saw a spate of false claims in the past week, including deepfake ads of prominent Indian personalities promoting a dubious game app. Here are the top five fact-checks of the week by Newschecker.
Viral Letter Claiming Pakistan PMO Banned The Country’s Media From Covering Iran Strike Is Fake
Several social media users circulated a letter claiming that the Pakistan government banned its media from covering Iran airstrikes inside Pakistani territory. All journalists were banned from visiting the areas that were attacked. Newschecker found the claim to be false and that no such directive was issued.
Truck Loaded With Firecrackers That Caught Fire In Unnao Was Not Headed To Ayodhya
A video was being shared on social media with the claim that a truck carrying fireworks to celebrate the consecration of Ram Temple caught fire in Unnao. Newschecker found the posts to be false and that the truck was actually heading to Bahraich when it burst into flames near Khargikheda, Unnao, due to unknown reasons.
Deepfake Ads Of Shah Rukh Khan, Kapil Dev And Sachin Tendulkar Endorsing Online Game Go Viral
A slew of ads, purportedly featuring Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, former Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev, promoting an online action game available on the iPhone App Store, “Aviator: Escape Apocalypse”, which promises easy money, had gone viral on Facebook. There were no such endorsements and Newschecker found the viral ads to be deepfakes.
Did Participant Abuse Klaus Schwab On Stage During WEF Meet? No, Viral Video Found To Be Doctored And Satire
Several social media users shared a video, claiming that a participating speaker shouted expletives on stage at Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairperson of the World Economic (WEF), during the WEF annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Newschecker found the video to be edited by a Denmark-based content creator and intended as satire.
Did Saudi Civic Authorities Clean Madinah Streets Due To Smriti Irani’s Visit? Viral Claim Found To Be False
Several social media users, including verified accounts, shared a video, which claimed that Saudi Arabia’s Madinah Municipality is washing and sanitising the streets of Madinah near the holy Masjid Al-Nabawi, because a “non-Muslim” delegation led by Indian Union minority affairs minister Smriti Irani had visited a few days ago. Arab fact-checkers, news outlet related to the holy mosques told Newschecker that the claim was unfounded, saying that the municipality routinely cleans the area inside and around the mosque.
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